


In Your Arms

by Copiel



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cuddles, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fever, Fluff, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gen, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pidge is a little shit, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), Sick Character, Sick Lance (Voltron), Sickfic, Team Voltron Family, hunk is a great friend, klance, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 12:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11313369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Copiel/pseuds/Copiel
Summary: In which Lance gets sick, the team takes care of him, and Keith realizes a thing or two.(And yes, there is some cradling in arms sprinkled throughout)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Basically this is just a hella fluffy sickfic I needed to get out of my system.  
> Enjoy!

Lance groaned as he rolled over yet again. He hadn't been able to sleep for the past few days. He knew he'd been getting sick; he could tell from the way his throat started to tickle and how his nose just felt like illness was imminent, but he thought it'd been just a cold. Clearly, at 2 A.M. Earth time, sweating, shivering, and miserable in his bed, he was wrong.

He decided to get some help when he noticed his ceiling was starting to swirl and _wait that's not normal Lance you're hallucinating._

Lance pushed himself out of bed on shaky arms, and stood up on shakier legs. Now that he was up, where was he going? 

_Shiro's room_ , he decided. _He said to come to him if we needed anything_. And so Lance began the trek to Shiro's room, not remembering which one it was, _they all look the same, was his three down from mine, or two in the other direction?_ Lance glanced around at his surroundings. With his vision swirling, he wasn't sure if he could even find his own room. His room sounded nice right now. He should go back, and wait for them to find him in the morning. Lance nodded to himself, turned around, and started shuffling along the wall back to his room.

He opened the door, and collapsed onto his bed. He hadn't expected anyone else to be in it.

"GAAHH!" Keith yelled, brandishing his knife. He managed to calm down a bit once he realized there wasn't any immediate threat on his bed. "Lance?"

"Keith?" Lance sounded confused. "What're you doin' in my bed?" he slurred.

" _Your_ bed? This is my room!"

Lance glanced around blearily. "Oh. I was trying to find Shiro's. Or mine."

It was Keith's turn to be confused. "Why are you looking for Shiro in the middle of the night?"

Lance shrugged. "...don't feel good..." he mumbled. He buried his face into Keith's blanket.

Keith tentatively placed his hand on the back of Lance's neck. "Shit, Lance! You're burning up!"

Lance only hummed in response and shuddered. "M' cold."

Without a word, Keith slid out of his bed, grabbed Lance under his armpits, and hauled him into the spot he had occupied, tucking his blankets around him. "Better?"

Lance hummed again, his eyes following something on Keith's ceiling. Keith glanced up, but didn't see anything.

"Okay, I'm going to get Shiro. You just stay here. Okay?" Lance didn't answer. "Sound good, Lance?"

Lance giggled suddenly. "What?" Keith demanded.

"Your ceiling's swirly like mine," Lance said mid-giggle. He turned to Keith, a delirious smile on his face. "I'm hallucinating!"

Keith could feel the terrified expression on his face. "I'll be back." Shit, his voice sounded terrified too. He all but bolted to Shiro's room, banging on the door before opening it. Shiro was stirring from the sudden noise.

"Keith, what's the matter?" Shiro said between a yawn.

"Lance is sick, like hallucinating from a fever sick, and he's in my room but I don't know what to do, and he was looking for you, but he couldn't find your room, or his room, and he's hallucinating-"

Somewhere in Keith's panicked rant, Shiro had fully woken up, grabbed Keith's arm, and pulled him back to his room as he rambled. 

Shiro almost ignored the sounds of two other doors whooshing open. Hunk and Pidge stepped out of their respective rooms.

"What's happening?" Hunk yawned. Pidge didn't say anything, glaring about the disruption.

"Lance is sick," Keith said.

"Find Allura and Coran. Keith and I are going to tend to Lance." Pidge and Hunk nodded at Shiro before splitting up to find the princess and her advisor.

When they finally got to Keith's room, Keith could tell Lance had gotten worse. He was speaking in Spanish. Keith could pick out the words 'Mamá', 'Papá', and 'Mari' occasionally. Lance's eyes were open, but he didn't register Keith or Shiro beside him.

Shiro knelt next to the bed, pressing his human hand to Lance's forehead, and hissed when his skin made contact. "He's too hot. His fever must be spiking."

Lance had quieted at the hand on his forehead, but whimpered as it was pulled away. "No para, por favor."

Shiro placed his hand back on Lance's forehead. "Keith, can you bring a damp towel? We've got to bring his fever down." Keith nodded, disappearing into the bathroom before reemerging moments later, tossing a damp washcloth to Shiro.

He pressed the washcloth under Lance's bangs. Lance gave a little sigh and closed his eyes.

Shiro, alarmed, began talking to Lance. "Hey, buddy, can you hear me right now?"

"¿Papá?"

A rare look of pity crossed both Shiro and Keith's faces. "It's just us, Lance. Shiro and Keith, your teammates." Shiro set a hand on Lance's chest. "We're gonna get some medicine for you, okay?"

Lance groaned. "Papá," he said weakly. "Quiero sentir mejor."

"Um...sí?" Keith tried. He may have grown up in Texas, but he didn't know a lick of Spanish.

"Oh no, is he speaking Spanish?" Hunk appeared behind Shiro. "That's not good."

"What's Spanish?" Allura and Coran hovered near the door, unsure of the situation at hand.

"Another Earth language," Hunk explained, kneeling next to Lance. "Lance's family is Cuban, he grew up speaking English and Spanish, usually Spanish with his parents. I've picked up a little from hanging out at his house." He nudged Lance. "You there, buddy?"

Lance groaned. "No estoy bueno."

"Yeah, I know. Umm...Inglés? ¿Habla Inglés? It's Hunk, buddy. Everyone's here, but we don't understand Spanish. Please speak English?"

"M'kay..." Lance turned to his side, and seemed to notice everyone for the first time. "Wassa matter?"

Shiro sighed in relief. Lance was hardly coherent, but this was better. "You're pretty sick, Lance."

Lance chuckled. "I'm hallucinating."

"That's not funny Lance!" Keith snapped.

Lance chuckled some more. "But your face," he mumbled, reaching out to poke Keith's cheek. "It's swirly."

Keith pushed Lance's hand away. "He was like this when I found him. Is he delirious?"

"Clearly," Pidge remarked.

Lance's gaze shifted to Shiro. "Heeey...I was lookin' for you."

"I know, bud. How do you feel? Allura's here to get you some medicine."

Lance lay still, thinking. "Dunno...can't think. 'M cold." He touched the washcloth on his forehead. "This is cold."

Shiro turned to Allura. "Do you have anything for bringing a fever down?"

"Certainly. We're on it." Allura and Coran promptly left the room.

Shiro surveyed the paladins. They all looked tired, but determined to help their friend. "Pidge, Hunk, Keith, you guys should go to bed. You've done more than enough. I think Lance'll be fine once he gets medicine and rest, and I don't want you guys to get sick too." 

Hunk and Pidge begrudgingly left the room after Hunk made Shiro promise to call him if Lance slipped back into Spanish. 

"Keith, you too."

"Shiro, this is my room. I'm not going anywhere."

"We're not moving Lance."

"I know." Shiro looked at Keith, a bit surprised. "I can keep an eye on him," he said as he pushed Lance's hand away from his face yet again. "You need sleep too."

Shiro sighed. He could tell he wasn't going to win this. "Fine, but you better come get me if anything happens. Got it?" Keith nodded. "Okay. Goodnight."

"'Night."

Shortly after Shiro left, Allura and Coran walked in with the medicine. "Are you watching over Lance?" Allura asked.

"Yeah. He's in my room, and I was gonna stay here anyway."

"A splendid idea," Coran said, approaching Lance with a glass of purple liquid. "Right Lance, this'll help you get better. In a few vargas, you'll be back to your old self!"

Lance was giggling again. "Coran, your 'stache... it's all wiggly."

Coran looked at Keith. "Is he worse?"

"No, he's just been like that for a while."

"Right." Coran wrestled Lance into an upright position. "Here, this is going to make you feel better."

Lance looked at the glass. "We have Kool-Aid?"

Coran turned to Keith once again, at a loss for words.

"Yeah, Lance. Drink the Kool-Aid."

Lance smiled and downed the drink in two gulps before coughing and gagging. "S'not Kool-Aid!" he said indignantly.

"I know, but it's going to help you feel better," Keith explained.

"Are you sure you'll be alright with him? Coran and I could just as easily move him to the infirmary."

Keith glanced at Lance, who was once again burrowed in his blankets. "I'm sure."

"Very well. Don't hesitate to call us if his condition worsens. Goodnight, Keith." 

Keith heard his door whoosh shut. He double checked Lance, determined to do a good job of taking care of him. At the very least, he wanted to prove that he could keep his teammates alive, not that Lance was close to dying. He was just laying still, staring at the ceiling, mumbling something under his breath. He seemed good enough that Keith could grab some extra blankets for the floor. They were just down the hall, so he could probably hear Lance if he got agitated. Keith left his room and made sure to leave the door open, letting light into the dark hallway. He half-jogged to the closet, and pulled out a few blankets, a pillow, and-was that a mattress pad? He tugged at it with one hand, but it was really wedged in there. Keith was going to need two hands for this. He turned to set his blankets down and almost screamed.

Lance was sitting against the wall, tears on his cheeks. "Keith," he said pitifully.

Keith knelt down, placing the blankets on the floor. "Lance? Oh my god, what're you, what's wrong?"

"You left."

Keith felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He hadn't told Lance he was leaving, of course he got scared. He felt Lance's forehead, feeling the fever still burning. "C'mon, let's get you back to bed." He held a hand out to Lance, standing up.

Lance just stared at it. 

"You can walk, right?" Keith asked. "You got this far."

"No."

"What, did you crawl?"

Lance let out a wet chuckle. "Like a slug."

Keith sighed. No wonder he didn't hear him. "Okay then, I'm gonna have to carry you, okay?"

Lance hummed in agreement. Keith crouched down again, snaking one arm under his knees, the other supporting his back. "Can you hold onto my neck?" Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's neck and laid his head against his shoulder. Keith could feel the heat through his shirt. He stood up, readjusted Lance, and walked back to his room.

Lance's weight in his arms was reassuring. He felt strangely protective of Lance, despite their 'rivalry', or whatever Lance thought was between them. Keith was kind of proud that he was the one taking care of Lance. It made him feel...well, he didn't know. He just knew that he didn't mind having Lance in his arms. Or in his room.

Keith laid Lance down in his bed once again, tucking him in. Lance sighed, eyes closed.

"I'll be right back, I just need some blankets. Stay here." Keith didn't get a response. He squeezed Lance's shoulder before running back to his pile of blankets, yanking out the mattress pad and grabbing everything in order to make one trip.

Keith dumped his pile next to his bed, where Lance was staring at him. "You're back."

"I said I'd come back, didn't I?"

Lance hummed in response and watched as Keith set up a bed on the floor. Keith, satisfied with his work, shut off the light, finally. "Night, Lance."

Lance mumbled out a "Night," and fell silent.

Keith sighed and closed his eyes. He was almost asleep, when-

"Keith?" 

Keith groaned and opened his eyes. _No point in getting irritated, you're the one who said he could stay._ "Yeah, Lance?"

"'M cold."

"I'll grab you another blanket." Keith stood up, but Lance grabbed onto his hand. He mumbled something under his breath.

"I can't hear you, Lance."

"I wanna hug."

Keith was dumbstruck. He didn't mind hugging Lance, but he wasn't sure if Lance, as soon as he wasn't delirious, would want a hug. And if he found out? Lance would probably die of shame and deny the hug completely, which would only embarrass Keith.

But between Lance's hand in his and the pitiful way he'd asked, Keith had the feeling that delirious Lance needed this, regardless of what he would think later.

Keith climbed over Lance, sitting against the wall. "C'mere," he gestured to Lance.

Lance crawled over to Keith and, without warning, latched onto him, arms around his waist, face pressed into his chest. The rest of Lance's body was splayed out on the bed behind him. His legs dangled off the edge of the mattress.

Keith, having recovered from the initial shock, placed his hands on Lance's back. "Lance, that can't be comfy."

Lance hummed. Keith could feel the vibrations on his chest.

Keith grabbed Lance around the waist and repositioned both of them so they were laying down. "Better?"

"Mmmhmm..."

"Great. Goodnight, Lance."

"G'night Keith. Love you."

Keith's heart skipped a beat. He figured it was the fever talking, but Lance had been coherent enough to realize that Keith was the one holding him. He looked at Lance, who still had his arms wrapped around Keith, but his face was on the pillow now instead of pressed to Keith's chest. He looked so peaceful. Now, Keith realized why he felt proud to be taking care of Lance, why he insisted on watching him in the first place, why he liked having Lance in his arms, and what he was feeling when he held Lance.

_Love_.

Keith ran his fingers through Lance's hair, smiling when he made a happy sound.

"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after...

Lance woke up feeling warm and considerably better from last night. _What happened last night?_ He remembered bits and pieces of his teammates talking to him, and his parents, but he was pretty sure that they were a hallucination. He also remembered Keith finding him on the ground and carrying him to-

Lance's eyes flew open. He was facing a wall that clearly wasn't his own. He became aware of something moving under his face. Lance lifted his head. Keith's chest was moving up and down slowly. He was still fast asleep. Lance then realized that Keith's arms were wrapped around him, and their legs were tangled together. Lance felt a flush on his face, and he was positive that it wasn't because of his fever.

 _Keith's going to freak out when he wakes up._ But then he remembered Keith carrying him, and the fact that he was still in Keith's room. _He's probably making an exception since I'm sick. Besides, this is kinda nice._ Lance nuzzled back into Keith's chest. He could deal with that once Keith woke up. For now, he was fine with more sleep.

* * *

 The next time Lance woke up, he felt a hand on his forehead. He opened his eyes and saw Keith staring back at him.

"Hi."

"Hey." Keith moved his hand. "You still have a fever, but it's gone down."

Lance hummed. "That's good. Whatever Coran gave me helped."

Keith smiled a bit. "You thought it was Kool-Aid."

Lance chuckled. "I remember that." He swallowed. "I need some water." He got off of Keith, and tried to stand up.

Key word: _tried_.

Lucky for him, the makeshift bed Keith had set up was still next to the bed. Lance huffed from his new spot on the floor.

"You good?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I just...wanted to check out your room. Looks nice down here." 

Keith got up and headed to the bathroom. "I'll get the water, you get back in bed."

Lance raised an eyebrow. Keith was being unusually nice, even considering that he was sick. _I mean, who would cuddle with their rival, amirite?_

_You did, idiot. And you liked it._

"Oh, shut up." Lance muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing, Keith, I was just...thinking."

"Right." Keith handed him a glass of water. "You're going to be pretty weak for a day or so, you were really bad last night. I'm pretty sure you called Shiro 'Papá'."

Lance choked on the water he was gulping down. "I _what_?!" 

Keith held back a snort. "Yeah, you were speaking Spanish for a little bit. We had to get Hunk to get you back to English."

"I think that was when I was hallucinating my parents."  Lance went silent. He could feel his eyes watering and his throat getting tight. He coughed into his arm. "Hey, could you...?" He held out the empty glass to Keith.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Sure thing." Keith grabbed the glass and disappeared into the bathroom once more.

Lance took the opportunity to wipe his eyes before he came back.

Keith reemerged from the bathroom, handing Lance more water. As he drank, Keith cleared his throat. "Y'know, it's okay to miss your family, I mean, you're sick and everything-"

"No I know, I just want to maintain my manly image."

"What manly image?"

Lance cracked a smile. _That's more like it._ He noticed Keith was smirking too. "So, what else did I do?"

"You crawled after me crying when I left you alone for a minute."

Lance groaned. "I thought I was imagining that."

"You kept poking my face."

Lance smirked. "I remember that. You looked weird. Not like that's unusual for you."

"Whatever, slug boy."

"Hey, I was delirious!"

"Sure thing, Lance." Keith stood up. "I'm going to get some breakfast. You want anything?"

Lance shook his head. "I'll just wait here."

Keith looked concerned. "You should probably eat something, it'll help you get better."

"Maybe later," Lance said as he burrowed into Keith's bed. 

Keith, unconvinced, left the door open. "I'll have Hunk get you something," he said as he walked away.

Lance sighed. He really wasn't hungry, and he was still worn out. Sleeping was probably his best option, so he closed his eyes and let himself drift off. 

* * *

Keith arrived at the kitchen, grabbed a bowl of food goo, and sat down with his teammates.

"Morning, Keith. How's Lance?" Shiro asked.

"Better. He still has a fever, but he's not delirious anymore. He said he's not hungry, which is bad, right?"

Hunk shrugged. "I dunno, that's pretty normal for sick people. Did he have any water?"

Keith nodded.

"Good. I'll try and make some soup for him, that should help." Hunk headed into the kitchen.

"Thanks, Hunk." Shiro stood up. "I'll go check on him. Whose room is he in?"

"Still mine."

Shiro nodded and left.

"Still in your room, huh?" Pidge was smirking at Keith.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"...nothing."

"Pidge-"

"You were _really_ worried about Lance last night, like, more than someone would consider normal," she said. "I heard you ramble to Shiro, which is strange since I've never heard you rambling before. That means you either ramble when you're tired, or-" she leaned towards Keith "-you were really _concerned_ about Lance." 

Keith glared at Pidge and was about to retaliate until Shiro interrupted.

"Lance's sleeping again."

"How is his temperature?" Allura asked as she stepped into the dining room.

"Better, but he still has a fever. We should keep an eye on him. I don't want him to get worse again. Keith," he turned to the red paladin, "we can move him back to his own room now, he should be fine sleeping on his own."

"I can take care of it." Shiro raised an eyebrow at Keith's offer. "Really, Shiro, it's fine. I had to carry him when he got out of bed last night-"

"He got out-?"

"You _carried_ him!?"

"He told me he got scared when I left to grab some blankets. And he's not that heavy, Pidge."

"That's not what I meant," Pidge muttered.

Keith rolled his eyes. "I'll go move him now. Then," he looked at Shiro, "I want to spar."

* * *

When he got to his room, Lance was still fast asleep. He was half-curled up into a ball, mouth slightly open, letting out small puffs of air with each exhale. Keith smiled. He looked pretty... _pretty what, Keith?_ Keith grit his teeth as he imagined what Pidge would say. _Pretty cute?_ He could admit Lance looked cute, but like little kid cute. Not 'cute' cute. God, he needed to stop. This was what gave Pidge ammo.

Keith crouched down next to Lance and started to untangle him from the blankets. He slid his arms under Lance's knees and back and stood up slowly, leaning back when Lance's head lolled away from his chest. His head fell back onto Keith's chest, and he nuzzled into it with a contented sigh, still fast asleep.

Keith felt his heart swell. _Goddamnit Lance_. Lance had him whipped, and he figured Pidge knew it too, if their conversation at breakfast was anything to go off of.

As he made his way to Lance's room, he heard Lance mumble something.

"You awake?" He didn't get a response at first, but then he heard Lance mumble some more. _Of course he talks in his sleep_.

"You're smiling like a lovesick idiot."

"Pidge," Keith growled.

"Well, I can't blame you. He's kind of adorable in a dorky, Lance-y way." Pidge cocked an eyebrow. "Don'tcha think?"

Keith glared at Pidge, and would've made a snarky remark if Lance had kept his mouth shut.

"Keith..." Lance mumbled.

Pidge's face turned red. Keith could feel his own face heating up; by now, it was probably dark red.

Pidge cleared her throat. "Well...would you look at the time? I think I have something I need to work on...feelbetterLancebyeKeith!" And with that, she bolted away.

Keith groaned, and glared at the sleeping boy in his arms. "You're lucky you're sick, otherwise I would've dropped you." Lance didn't respond. 

They finally arrived at Lance's room. Keith had to kick the door a few times before it opened, and then he was in Lance's room. His bed was still unmade, not that Keith expected anything different. He got Lance tucked in, and felt his forehead one more time, because _no he was not just smoothing his hair back, he needed to make sure his fever wasn't worse_. Lance would be fine here. Keith would make sure someone would check on him later. _Maybe I will once I finish sparring with Shiro, he thought_.

* * *

When Lance woke up, he felt a little better. He stretched and opened his eyes, and realized he was back in his room. _Keith must've moved me._ He yawned, and cringed at his dry throat. _Water sounds good right about now_. He stood up, and mentally fist pumped when he didn't fall over. Lance walked slowly to the bathroom, didn't bother to look for a glass, and stuck his mouth under the faucet, gulping down the water. With a satisfied sigh, he went back to his bed. He could've gone back to sleep if his stomach hadn't decided to imitate a whale's mating call.

"Right, food. I should probably get something." Lance got up again, and shuffled out into the hall. Maybe Keith would get him something? He was feeling kind of tired, the exertion from standing telling him that he was still sick. Lance poked his head into Keith's room, disappointed when he found it empty. _Oh well. I'll just get it myself_. He turned around and headed back the way he came. When he got close to his room, he thought he heard his door whoosh open and shut, but he couldn't be sure. He didn't hear anything as he shuffled past his door. _Must be a glitch or something. That, or I'm hallucinating again_.

Lance finally made it to the kitchen. He grabbed a bowl and only struggled a little when he tried to get some food goo in there. With a sigh, he sat down at the counter, his cheek resting on his hand. Now that he was here, Lance felt exhausted. He halfheartedly ate a spoonful of goo, realizing that he probably should've waited for Hunk to bring him something. He found it difficult to focus on eating, and his eyes deciding to slide shut every two seconds wasn't helping. _I'll just rest my eyes_ , he thought as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Keith dodged another punch from Shiro, and tried to sweep his feet out from under him. Shiro seemed to have the same idea, and they both ended up on the floor.

"We'll call that one a draw," Shiro said as he got up. 

Keith stood, and got into a fighting stance. "One more?"

Shiro smirked. "What, you getting sleepy?"

Keith responded by charging the black paladin, aiming a hit at his chest. Shiro blocked it with ease, and began to reach for Keith, setting up to flip him on his back. Keith smirked. He'd been practicing, and he'd finally figured out how to counter this move. He'd get Shiro on the ground this time, he just had to concentrate-

"SHIRO LANCE IS GONE!"

Keith's gaze went to Hunk, who was out of breath and looked borderline hysterical. Shiro took advantage of the distraction and flipped Keith on his back.

"Keith moved him back to his own room. Don't worry about it, Hunk." Shiro said as he extended his hand to Keith, who pulled himself up.

"I know, I heard you guys from the kitchen this morning, and I went to bring him some space soup -which I'm making from now on, it's amazing-"

"I don't care about your soup right now!" Keith snapped. 

"Right, so I go to bring him soup, but he wasn't in his room! I looked _everywhere_ in there, he's nowhere! Do you think he's hallucinating again? What if he's worse? I can't handle him if he's worse, I don't know enough Spanish!"

"Hunk!" Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. We just have to split up and look for him. The sooner we find him, the sooner we'll know how bad he is."

Keith grimaced. He didn't want to think about finding Lance in worse condition than he was last night. 

"Hunk, head to the labs. If you see Pidge, tell her to keep an eye out for him. Keith, you check the common room and the dining hall. I'll alert Allura and Coran and check the lion hangars."

"You got it!"

"I'm on it." Keith ran to the common room, his concern growing when he didn't see Lance sprawled out on the couch. He sprinted to the dining room, and crawled under the table, checking under each chair. At the end of the table, he shot up, double checking to make sure he hadn't missed Lance in a chair.

Nothing. 

Keith was starting to get really worried. He hadn't found Lance, and neither had Shiro or Hunk; they would've broadcast it through the castle if they had. Keith had to keep looking- he had to find Lance. _Well_ , I _don't have to find him. I mean, I want to be the one to find him- ah, crap. Pidge was definitely on to something._

Keith decided to check the kitchen quick, and then he could go check the med bay, maybe even the perimeter of the castle, but he didn't think Lance would be able to get out-

And there he was.

Lance. He found Lance. _I found Lance!_ Keith was ecstatic with relief. He hadn't even registered anything else except _he found Lance._ Keith shook his head, coming back to himself. He hadn't even checked to see if Lance was okay. The boy in question was slumped over the counter, not moving. Keith scrambled over to him. His hand automatically went to Lance's forehead, but he stopped when he realized the position Lance was in. The left side of his face was partially submerged in a bowl of food goo, and he was fast asleep. Keith snorted before gingerly lifting Lance's head out and sliding the bowl out of the way. His fever didn't seem any worse than before, which was a good sign. _Hunk'll be glad he's alright, I should let him-_

Keith almost forgot to let Shiro and Hunk know. He bolted to the wall, and pushed the button to broadcast to the whole castle. "Hunk! Shiro! I found Lance in the kitchen. He's fine, just sleeping." He didn't bother to listen to their responses; he needed to take care of Lance. 

He grabbed a towel, got it damp, and moved back to Lance. He couldn't clean Lance on the counter, so he hauled him onto the ground, placing Lance's head on one of his knees, being careful to not get any goo on his jeans. He began to gently wipe at Lance's face, trying to not wake him up.

It didn't work. Lance groaned, and scrunched up his face before opening his eyes. "Keith? Why are we on the floor?"

"You fell asleep in a bowl of food goo."

Lance felt his face, and pulled back his hand to see it covered in food goo. "Oh."

Keith grabbed his hand and started to wipe the goo off. "So, what were you doing in the kitchen?"

"I got hungry."

"You should've waited for me to help you, or Hunk. He was bringing you soup before you disappeared."

"Huh. I thought I heard my door opening on my way back."

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. "Back from where?"

"Your room. I went to look for you first, then I came here." Lance yawned. "I don't remember falling asleep."

"I'm guessing you overexerted yourself."

"No shit."

"Shut up," Keith said with a smile. He wiped the last of the goo from Lance's face. "Well, I got all that off." He slid Lance off his knee and headed to the sink to rinse out the towel.

Lance pushed himself up and sat against the wall. "Is my goo still there? I never got around to eating-"

"LANCE!" Hunk ran into the kitchen and grabbed him in a bone-crushing hug. "You had me worried, man."

"Hunk...can't...breathe..."

"My bad."

Shiro walked in shortly after Hunk. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Hungry."

"Dude, I made the best space soup for you, you're gonna love it," Hunk gushed.

"He can have some once we get him to his room. Are you up for walking?" Shiro held his hand out to Lance.

Lance took it, and Shiro pulled him up. "I guess we'll find out." 

He started off great; he was walking without needing the help of the wall, and having Shiro, Hunk, and Keith flank him reassured him that he could literally fall back on them when he needed to. About halfway to his room, Lance started to stumble a bit, and took to leaning on the wall as he shuffled along. Eventually, Shiro insisted that Lance let him help, and ended up putting Lance's arm around his shoulders, half-carrying him.

 _I kinda wish Keith was carrying me again. It's comfortable._ When Lance glanced at Keith, it almost looked like he was thinking the same thing.

In his room, Lance propped himself upright in bed, and Hunk gave him the soup he conveniently left in his room. Shiro and Keith left to train, leaving Hunk to keep Lance company. Lance focused on eating the space soup (which was amazing; Hunk had really outdone himself) while Hunk talked to him. He mostly talked about home and what he remembered, and what he knew Lance missed.

Lance felt tired again by the time he finished his soup. He passed the empty bowl to Hunk, burrowed into his blankets, and fell asleep to the sound of Hunk describing the ocean.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is concerned about Lance again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter of this little story! It's shorter than the others, but hey, ya gotta end it somehow. Hopefully it's worth the read!

Nighttime came and Keith hadn't seen Lance since midday. Hunk told him that he was sleeping again, which didn't make sense to Keith. How much sleep did a guy need? Sure, he was sick, but this was just ridiculous. Shiro, who was checking on Lance periodically, said he was fine, that this was normal, and Lance would be back to his energetic self in a few days.

None of Shiro's reassurances made a difference to Keith, which was why he was laying in bed, unable to sleep. He was worried about Lance. What if he got worse again? No one would be going to check on him. _I could always check on him. Just to make sure he's alright. Then I'm going back to bed_. His mind made up, Keith headed to Lance's room.

He raised his hand to knock on the door, but hesitated. He didn't want to wake Lance up, he needed all the sleep he could get. So, Keith opted to just push the button instead.

The door opened before he could reach the button, and there was Lance, looking just as surprised as Keith.

"What are you doing here?"

"Why are you out of bed?"

Lance broke eye contact. "I, uh, was going to...get...another blanket. Yeah. But now you're in my way!" 

When Lance went to cross his arms, Keith noticed how much he was leaning against the doorframe. "C'mon, let's get you back in bed." He grabbed Lance's arm, wrapping it around his own shoulder, and hauled him back to his bed. Once Lance was settled, Keith's hand went up to his forehead instinctively.

"I think your fever's almost gone."

"That's nice, now can you tell me what you're doing here?"

Keith glared at Lance. There was no way out of this one. "I was worried about you, okay? After last night and what you said, I wanted to make sure you weren't worse again. There. Happy?"

"I guess, but what do you mean by 'what I said'?"

"You said...some stuff while you were out of it."

"Cut the crap Keith, what did I say?" 

Keith sighed. "Just promise me you won't kill me, since I didn't say this shit-you did. You said 'Love you Keith' last night, and you said my name while you were sleeping earlier. In front of Pidge."

Lance paled a bit. "You gotta be kidding me." Keith braced himself for the 'I didn't mean it' that was sure to come. "In front of Pidge?!"

Keith was surprised, and relieved, that that was the only issue Lance seemed to have with it. "Yeah. And I was carrying you when you said it."

Lance groaned. "God, she's never going to let that go."

"Why would you say that, anyway? Were you dreaming about me?"

Lance thought for a moment. "Well, you were taking care of me earlier, so I must've thought about you subconsciously." He shifted on his bed. "That's actually what I was doing out of bed. I was going to head to your room again."

Keith was surprised. "What, did you want more cuddles?"

"...Maybe." Keith just blinked at Lance. "When I got sick back on Earth, someone would cuddle me, usually my sister, Mari. It always helped, I don't know why. And it helped when you did it too."

Keith nodded, taking it all in. "So when you said 'love you' last time, you were thinking about your sister?"

"What? No! Of course I meant you. Well, not _of course_ , but you know what I mean." Lance's ears were red.

"If it's any consolation, I said it back." Keith met Lance's gaze for a moment before glancing away. "I mean, what else was I gonna do with a delirious boy in my arms?" Keith could feel his own blush on his cheeks.

Lance stared at a lump in his bedspread. "So can you lay here with me? At least until I fall asleep?"

Keith responded by climbing in next to Lance. "You know, I don't actually mind doing this."

"Doing what?" 

"Taking care of you. I kinda feel satisfied when I do it."

Lance smirked a little. "It's called 'caring about other people', dumbass. You do it with all of us every day."

"It's different with you," Keith insisted. "I just feel...proud when it's me who's taking care of you."

"Like a crush?"

Keith felt himself flush at that. "I..."

"It's fine if you don't feel like that." Was that disappointment in Lance's voice? Or was Keith just imagining things?

"Do _you_ feel like that?"

Lance's flush was visible in the dim lighting. "You know how parents say 'if he's mean to you, it means he likes you?'"

"Yeah?"

"Well, that's me in a nutshell."

Keith snickered before full-out laughing.

"It's not funny," Lance whined. God, he was embarrassed.

"No, no, not you, it's just-" Keith took a breath "-you came up with your rivalry because you _liked_ me?"

Lance mumbled out a 'yes'. "Besides, you're cute when you're angry."

"No I'm not!"

Lance smiled, and let out a yawn. "So, does this mean that you like me too?" He laid his head on Keith's shoulder.

"Sure." Keith pulled Lance so he was laying down, wrapping his arms around him and placing Lance's head under his chin. Lance hummed and nuzzled into his neck. Keith could feel his lips just above his collarbone.

"Love you, dropout."

Feeling bold, Keith moved Lance off of him long enough to plant a kiss on his slightly warm forehead. 

"Goodnight, slug boy." And there it was again. The feeling of pride that he was the one taking care of Lance. The feeling that was magnified by their mutual confessions. The tingly feeling his lips got when he kissed Lance's forehead, and how his heart raced from the way Lance's head was laying on him and how their legs were tangled together.

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, lemme know what you thought!

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work on this site, so any and all feedback is appreciated!
> 
> Edit: Thank you ALL for the positive feedback! I love you guys!


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